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PLACES
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KELZAR
Kelzar is a small village of 1,551 inhabitants on theArvi-Nagpur road in Wardha tahsil, 17 miles north-east of Wardha. The name 'Kelzar' means ' the village of plantain trees ' It contains an antique ruined fort. Inside the fort is a temple of Ganapati in whose honour a fair used to be held in olden days in the month of Magh (February). However, the fair appears to have been discontinued. Kelzar is believed to occupy the site of the old city of Chakranagar described in the Mahabharata, the great Hindu epic. On a mound near the city there lived a demon who had to be provided with a child each day for his meal, until the Pandava brothers appeared on the scene. One day on seeing a family weeping they inquired the cause and were told that it was their turn to give a child to be devoured by the demon. The Pandavas pacified them and told them not to worry; Bhima then forthwith went against the demon and slew him thus making the villagers happy. The mound still remains and the demon is supposed to lie buried inside. Formerly a buffalo was scarificed to him on every Dasara day but the practice has since been discontinued. A weekly bazar is held here on Saturdays. The village has a middle school, a primary health sub-centre, a post office and a rest house. Kelzar was formerly the headquarters of a paragana.
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